


The Crystal Kingdom.

by lotusbloom



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Angst, Eren Yeager Loves Levi, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Levi & Eren Yeager are the Same Age, Levi Loves Eren Yeager, M/M, Mentions of Mental Illness, Paranormal, Supernatural Elements, There's some weird stuff going on, They were both teens when everything happened, Trost is basically Night Vale, they love each other so much it hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:02:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24397735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotusbloom/pseuds/lotusbloom
Summary: Statement of Levi Ackerman, regarding his visit to a strange cave hidden somewhere in the outskirts of the town of Trost, and the unusual events that followed. Statement recorded directly from the subject, May 26th, 2020.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	The Crystal Kingdom.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, little sunflowers. It's me again.~ 
> 
> I wrote this a while ago for a roleplay "spooky" challenge and I thought I could make some adjustments to post it here. I hope it's not that awful.
> 
> My obsession with podcasts had a lot to do with this project, tbh. You'll find tons of elements from The Magnus Archives, Welcome To Night Vale, and The Adventure Zone here. They are the ones to blame for this mess[?].
> 
> As always, your support will be very much appreciated.~

There is a legend that's been flying around Trost for more than a few decades. The tale asserts that far beyond the city limits, hidden somewhere in the middle of the vast and desolated desert framing its extension with warm golden hues, exists a cave where an immeasurable power claims refuge in wait of its next visitor. It is said that if two souls in love traverse the extensive path until they reach its gates, the spirit of the Crystal Kingdom will grant them a wish every single couple in the entire universe yearns for with all the strength of their passionate hearts: assurance that both lovers will remain together until death do them part.

Those were the exact words that caught the attention of a young man named Eren. The boy with unruly dark hair and eyes as exotic as the Caribbean seas experienced the sweet blossoming of love for the first time a couple of years before and the fact that his joyful relationship stayed blissfully intact for so long never ceased to amaze him, since it was not a secret how sprouts of that kind tended to wither away at devastating speed under the care of inexperienced hands such as his. Inside him prevailed the fear that his story shared with a guy he considered the one could have a premature ending after the arrival of their graduation day.

His lover's plans differed from his own, which was the reason why the worry of being forced to take separate ways in the future remained latent. The anguish of an uncertain fate kept burning up inside his chest, every morning started with a question deep in his mind, pressing him to contemplate the possibility of that being his last day to bask in the other man's company. The final delightful moment before a heartbreaking goodbye.

Those vicious insecurities were what tempted Eren, fuelling him to cling with renewed hope to the extraordinary local belief circulating among young people. If that cave's existence was real, his biggest problem would be solved, he could attain the "happily ever after" he fervently longed for without having to fret about it again.

Convincing his partner was a task as easy as breathing. The naive guy was utterly and completely infatuated, in his eyes nothing was too much if it meant he could help to placate those evident concerns tormenting his beloved. Despite his own skepticism about what he believed was a loss of time, he couldn't refuse.

They decided to undertake their journey first thing in the morning and that's exactly what both of them did. Every tire tread imprinted on the sand brought them closer to their final destination, leaving the town behind until it became just a fine line drawn in the distance.

The trip took what seemed like an eternity, the dark veil of night was beginning to extend its imposing wings over the territory when they finally spotted a gleam of light on the horizon. Hurried strides followed that subtle glint as a guide and their persistence was rewarded by allowing them to find what they were searching for. The inside of the cave looked dazzling, opposite to its plain exterior appearance that could easily go unnoticed among the dunes if its existence weren't known. Translucent crystals decorated every millimeter of the walls, providing an ethereal aura to the area, so that it seemed impossible to believe it was a simple hiding place in the middle of nowhere. And maybe it wasn't.

After delving into the depths of the cave, both boys realized that the soft jingle resonating around them was more than a natural sound produced by the caress of the wind grazing the hanging crystals in its passing. It was a hypnotizing tune, which volume and speed progressively increased the more attention the young adventurers paid to it. None of them could detect it at that moment, but those enchanting notes possessed certain intoxicating effect capable of clouding the judgment of even the most iron-willed being, leaving them at the mercy of its captivating spell.

 ** _"I wish I could stop time"_** , was the sudden proclamation that shattered the constant row of whispered comments related to the fascinating environment, **_"be seventeen forever, live peacefully without thinking about what the future holds and everything that means becoming an adult. No more fears, nothing would need to be different than it is right now."_**

 ** _"The present is perfect as it is, we shouldn't be forced to leave it behind"_** , added Eren in response to his lover's heartwarming words, **_"not if we could stay together. I just want to be with you until death do us part, is that too much to ask?"_**

The precise details of what happened after their emotional exchange remain unknown, the only definite fact is that the pair managed to find their car and drove back home at some point, the rest stayed unclear. Their mysterious adventure began to turn into frustrating static in their minds the more they attempted to recall the circumstances of that evening, the sole proof supporting its authenticity was a small fragment of pink tourmaline that none of them remembered grabbing before leaving. 

The unexpected turn of events in their lives had a gradual approach. It started with Eren seeming unusually distracted, aquamarine irises lost their brilliance and gave the impression of being intensely focused on nothing more often than not. The slightest noise frightened him, leaving him in an awful state of panic for prolonged minutes, sometimes even hours. That exuberant young man, so full of life, always able to capture the attention of everyone in the room with enthusiastic conversations, turned into a grey shadow of the person he used to be. 

His increasing paranoia did nothing but expand its ruthless tendrils, such a fathomless terror of an entity no one else could distinguish was exceedingly worrying, enough to question his mental stability. Could it be a case of schizophrenia? The specialists couldn't tell, considering that his brain did not show specific alterations. Even so, regardless of the situation, his boyfriend refused to abandon him. Every second of his free time belonged to the brunette, he religiously stayed next to the trembling figure of his beloved, repeating, again and again, a thousand promises of keeping the dangers away, while trying arduously to ignore the constant twinges of pain stabbing his soul every time he saw how the sparkling green eyes he fell in love with in years prior turned into a depressing, empty, void. 

It was not a surprise to anyone when the news of Eren's passing surfaced. The people who used to frequent him thought it was just a matter of time before his dementia threw the final blow, pushing him to the edge of a cliff where his only option was to jump. Everyone believed that assumption, except for the man who knew him better than anyone in the world.

Maybe, if the circumstances were different, if those words that escaped the boy's cracked lips the previous night were produced by his cruel imagination, he would have accepted the repulsive idea. However, he was present before the catastrophic event took place, he heard the final declaration when he was about to leave the room and break his most important promise ever made in the process without even noticing. **_"The crystals are coming for me, the wish made in the cave will come true."_**

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

_Eren was the sun and I was just a planet spinning around him. Part of me always knew, in the end, our love could be a tender blessing or a poisonous curse, I guess hoping it wouldn't be the latter was not enough._

_My loss tied off something else, something I took years to identify as another wish expressed inside the cave that dreadful night. For a long time, I'm not sure exactly how much, my aging process stopped completely. I woke up every year knowing for sure that it was my seventeenth birthday once again. The loop stayed in function until the day I finally accepted the grim reality, that Eren was gone forever and there's nothing in my power to change that, just as I couldn't have done anything to save him back then. I had to discard the blame that threatened to crush my wounded heart into pieces, stop asking myself every morning what could've happened if I'd stayed beside him instead of going home. I guess that's what made the change, but I'm afraid I'll never know the true answer._

_What still haunts me to this day, a thing that torments my dreams without mercy, it's the possibility that those extra years weren't a selfless gift. It pains me to consider that maybe I've been wasting time cruelly taken away from someone else, that part of my life rightfully belongs to Eren and I'm the monster who unwillingly stole it away._

_I'll go back to the cave to try to find some answers._

_Or at least to make one last wish._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry.
> 
> This was supposed to be spooky, but turned out just sad. I'm ashamed If myself. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit.
> 
> With love, ren flower. ♡


End file.
